You can find my pictures of the trip at:
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd180/cl8onj1s/Cathay%20October%202007/
Unfortunately they are slightly out of order at the moment, but I will likely be re-sorting them before you read this!
Enjoy and thank you for reading.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
The World Has Turned and Left Me Here
There is a great lyric from Weezer that states, "The world has turned and left me here, just where I was before you appeared". For Weezer they were singing about being back in the same place after a relationship gone awry, but in my case, I find myself typing in my blog back in somewhat familiar San Francisco. While physically everything is the same, through my adventures, I think I am a little different.
No adventure should ever be measured by numbers, but I think it can be a fun game to play and so here are some interesting stats:
+ 3 out of 4 Asian Tigers/Dragons visited (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and missing South Korea)
+ 9 cities visited with a population over 3 million
+ 4 new "countries" visited (counting Hong Kong and Macau... though officially they are Special Administrative Regions of China)
+ 3 Hong Kong passport stamps (one during my visit, one coming back from Macau, one this morning switching airlines between Singapore and San Francisco)
+ 6 different airlines (United, Cathay Pacific, Dragon Air, China Eastern, China Air, Asia Jetstar)
Someone asked what my favorite part of the trip was and I would have to say the day I spent catching up with Susanne (and later Clea) in Shanghai. Shanghai had been such a place of my imagination; a place where east and west collide, old and new share the same address, poor become rich. Certainly such a place can only exist in myth, but Shanghai comes very close (in they myth it would be a fair bit cleaner). In the backdrop of this amazing place, Susanne and I caught up on each other's lives and talked a lot about where the economy and world was going. Me being so young an naive in the ways of global development, it was the type of all day conversation typically reserved for only students. I am indebted to Susanne for not only her wonderful hospitality but reminding me how wonderful it can be to engage in ideas (and not the type of rosy, student optimism from college... but the pragmatic type that is born from real experience and understanding).
I can honestly recommend to any would be traveller any/all of the places I visited. My "guide" in writing this blog has been Marco Polo, and while I fall far short of his abilities, I hope that maybe I have interested you in visiting Cathay (or including Singapore the Sino-sphere). Please feel free to contact me for more information (or just to grab a cup of tea).
I will post the link to my pictures when I have them all sorted!
No adventure should ever be measured by numbers, but I think it can be a fun game to play and so here are some interesting stats:
+ 3 out of 4 Asian Tigers/Dragons visited (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and missing South Korea)
+ 9 cities visited with a population over 3 million
+ 4 new "countries" visited (counting Hong Kong and Macau... though officially they are Special Administrative Regions of China)
+ 3 Hong Kong passport stamps (one during my visit, one coming back from Macau, one this morning switching airlines between Singapore and San Francisco)
+ 6 different airlines (United, Cathay Pacific, Dragon Air, China Eastern, China Air, Asia Jetstar)
Someone asked what my favorite part of the trip was and I would have to say the day I spent catching up with Susanne (and later Clea) in Shanghai. Shanghai had been such a place of my imagination; a place where east and west collide, old and new share the same address, poor become rich. Certainly such a place can only exist in myth, but Shanghai comes very close (in they myth it would be a fair bit cleaner). In the backdrop of this amazing place, Susanne and I caught up on each other's lives and talked a lot about where the economy and world was going. Me being so young an naive in the ways of global development, it was the type of all day conversation typically reserved for only students. I am indebted to Susanne for not only her wonderful hospitality but reminding me how wonderful it can be to engage in ideas (and not the type of rosy, student optimism from college... but the pragmatic type that is born from real experience and understanding).
I can honestly recommend to any would be traveller any/all of the places I visited. My "guide" in writing this blog has been Marco Polo, and while I fall far short of his abilities, I hope that maybe I have interested you in visiting Cathay (or including Singapore the Sino-sphere). Please feel free to contact me for more information (or just to grab a cup of tea).
I will post the link to my pictures when I have them all sorted!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Penultimate Post
I am in the Hong Kong airport and will soon leave to be back home in the US. Hard to believe that after almost a month, I will soon be back. Harder yet to believe are all the adventures (and mis-adventures!) I have enjoyed, people I have seen and met, and all the places I have been. Throughout the trip my only mission has been to be a sponge and try to absorb and learn as much as possible... and I believe that has been accomplished. Lots to think about when I get home.
Singapore ended up very well. Based on a recommendation from one of the gentlemen I interviewed with I went to a great complex called Chjimes (and pronounced as if there was not the 'j'). It is a former church complex converted into a series of outside restaurants and bars. I am convinced that food taste better al fresco (outside ;-)). On all the trees they hung lights and it creates a great atmosphere.
After dinner I headed back to the river area and walked a bit. The night before I had dinner on the Boat Quay (pronounced "Key") but a little further down is Clarke Quay. Based on the same gentleman's recommendation I went to a bar called China One. Live music and nice people. I ended up meeting the manager of the place and happened to catch her on her "drinking night". We had a few from her private Vodka stash and overall had a great time discussing Singapore, her family, and life in general.
Heading back I wonder what it will be like to be "home". After getting back from Taiwan/Tokyo in August I had a little bit of culture shock and that was after a little less than 2 weeks. I have been gone over twice as long and I wonder what it will be like this time. I also come back to a lot of opportunities but with no clear path. Far from being worried or anxious, however, I am ready to embrace the next challenge and I am looking forward to building a great organization and team (where ever it might be and whatever we might do).
Next stop San Francisco/reality!
Singapore ended up very well. Based on a recommendation from one of the gentlemen I interviewed with I went to a great complex called Chjimes (and pronounced as if there was not the 'j'). It is a former church complex converted into a series of outside restaurants and bars. I am convinced that food taste better al fresco (outside ;-)). On all the trees they hung lights and it creates a great atmosphere.
After dinner I headed back to the river area and walked a bit. The night before I had dinner on the Boat Quay (pronounced "Key") but a little further down is Clarke Quay. Based on the same gentleman's recommendation I went to a bar called China One. Live music and nice people. I ended up meeting the manager of the place and happened to catch her on her "drinking night". We had a few from her private Vodka stash and overall had a great time discussing Singapore, her family, and life in general.
Heading back I wonder what it will be like to be "home". After getting back from Taiwan/Tokyo in August I had a little bit of culture shock and that was after a little less than 2 weeks. I have been gone over twice as long and I wonder what it will be like this time. I also come back to a lot of opportunities but with no clear path. Far from being worried or anxious, however, I am ready to embrace the next challenge and I am looking forward to building a great organization and team (where ever it might be and whatever we might do).
Next stop San Francisco/reality!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Singapore Part Deux
This morning I got out and did some more sightseeing. Went to the Bugis market and was heading down Orchid Road when it started to poor rain. This was the first inclement weather I had encountered on this entire trip, so I consider myself very lucky.
Got back to my room and prepped for the interviews. I interviewed with 5 folks, and I believe it went pretty well. Still much to do before any decisions are reached (assuming they still want me!), but I liked the people I met. Could this be a reality?
Tonight I am heading to a couple of places suggested by one of the guys I interviewed with... then up at 4am to catch my plane to Hong Kong and from there back to San Francisco.
I am back in time for Halloween and I know of a couple of events... not sure if I will be awake to handle them!
Got back to my room and prepped for the interviews. I interviewed with 5 folks, and I believe it went pretty well. Still much to do before any decisions are reached (assuming they still want me!), but I liked the people I met. Could this be a reality?
Tonight I am heading to a couple of places suggested by one of the guys I interviewed with... then up at 4am to catch my plane to Hong Kong and from there back to San Francisco.
I am back in time for Halloween and I know of a couple of events... not sure if I will be awake to handle them!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Singapore
Arrived in Singapore this afternoon. First thing you notice (especially coming from China) is that it is incredibly clean and very few people are smoking. Pretty little downtown area by a river running through the city. My hotel is pretty central and there is a bar on the 70th floor that offers great views of the city (which is best seen with a "Singapore Sling" in hand!).
For those who did not know, I am actually interviewing here tomorrow. There is a company based in Mountain View (Silicon Valley) but that was founded and has most of their engineering and sales team in Singapore. I have interviewed with the Mountain View folks, but now need to interview with the Singapore group. The job itself would be in Singapore. SHOCK and SURPRISE, but I may be moving from San Francisco. Lots needs to happen before that happens, but it is an option that is attractive to me.
After my trip to Tokyo, I realized how limited my business views had been. While not saying it, I had adopted an attitude of "if it aint in the Valley, it aint really business". Very clearly this is not the case (and was somewhat snobby of me). In particular, in my sector of technology (mobility) there are far more interesting opportunities in Asia and Europe than in the US.
We will see where this leads!
For those who did not know, I am actually interviewing here tomorrow. There is a company based in Mountain View (Silicon Valley) but that was founded and has most of their engineering and sales team in Singapore. I have interviewed with the Mountain View folks, but now need to interview with the Singapore group. The job itself would be in Singapore. SHOCK and SURPRISE, but I may be moving from San Francisco. Lots needs to happen before that happens, but it is an option that is attractive to me.
After my trip to Tokyo, I realized how limited my business views had been. While not saying it, I had adopted an attitude of "if it aint in the Valley, it aint really business". Very clearly this is not the case (and was somewhat snobby of me). In particular, in my sector of technology (mobility) there are far more interesting opportunities in Asia and Europe than in the US.
We will see where this leads!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Penultimate Destination
Last night was Halloween in Lan Kwai Fong. Really fun as crowds of people swarmed the streets in costume. I did not put together a costume, but enjoyed it all the same. At least some cities are not afraid of having a good time (San Francisco and "Honorable" Mayor Newsom, I am looking your direction... shame on you for canceling Halloween in the Castro... a San Francisco institution).
Today I went to Macau (or Macao) which, like Hong Kong, is considered a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Like Hong Kong (and parts of Shanghai) it was a concession to a European power in the aftermath of the Opium Wars. In this case the colonial power was Portugal and only as recently as 1999 was it handed back to China. The architecture definitely reflects the Portuguese influence. The sidewalks also have a much more romantic feel (romantic in the sense of architecture).
Despite its interesting colonial ties and links to associated tourism, Macau is being driven by casino-money. Unlike Hong Kong or mainland China, wide spreading gambling is legal. Think of it as the Vegas of the East, it currently has major hotels from Sands, Wynn, and MGM Grand. Within a 4-hour flight of Vegas is roughly 300-400 million people. Within a 4-hour flight of Macua is roughly 2.5 BILLION (most of China and India). While the average person around Macau does not have the wealth of a typical North American... it is still a huge opportunity. The casinos themselves were nice (not quite as nice as Vegas) and had many baccarat, kai pow, and other games I do not know how to play. Oh well... I will be going to Vegas in a month or so with my swimming alumni friends.
One of the interesting aspects of getting to Macau is you take a 1-hour long ferry. It is a fast moving jet boat and the inside is designed to resemble an airplane. You also have to have a passport and get new stamps!
When I got back from Macau I headed over to the Peak Tram... basically a cable car going up a hill that at times feels like a 45-degree angle. Very nice and very nice view at the top. I am now even more embarrassed that I have never done the cable cars in San Francisco!
Next time I am in Hong Kong, I need to head to the southern part of the island!
Next (and final :-( ) stop Singapore in the morning!
Today I went to Macau (or Macao) which, like Hong Kong, is considered a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Like Hong Kong (and parts of Shanghai) it was a concession to a European power in the aftermath of the Opium Wars. In this case the colonial power was Portugal and only as recently as 1999 was it handed back to China. The architecture definitely reflects the Portuguese influence. The sidewalks also have a much more romantic feel (romantic in the sense of architecture).
Despite its interesting colonial ties and links to associated tourism, Macau is being driven by casino-money. Unlike Hong Kong or mainland China, wide spreading gambling is legal. Think of it as the Vegas of the East, it currently has major hotels from Sands, Wynn, and MGM Grand. Within a 4-hour flight of Vegas is roughly 300-400 million people. Within a 4-hour flight of Macua is roughly 2.5 BILLION (most of China and India). While the average person around Macau does not have the wealth of a typical North American... it is still a huge opportunity. The casinos themselves were nice (not quite as nice as Vegas) and had many baccarat, kai pow, and other games I do not know how to play. Oh well... I will be going to Vegas in a month or so with my swimming alumni friends.
One of the interesting aspects of getting to Macau is you take a 1-hour long ferry. It is a fast moving jet boat and the inside is designed to resemble an airplane. You also have to have a passport and get new stamps!
When I got back from Macau I headed over to the Peak Tram... basically a cable car going up a hill that at times feels like a 45-degree angle. Very nice and very nice view at the top. I am now even more embarrassed that I have never done the cable cars in San Francisco!
Next time I am in Hong Kong, I need to head to the southern part of the island!
Next (and final :-( ) stop Singapore in the morning!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
I <3 Hong Kong
Another great day in Hong Kong. After a leisurely stroll around Wan Chai (the area where my hotel is at) I met up with a friend of mine from the Good (Technology) days... Jessica Hwang. We went to Lantau island (still part of Hong Kong) and went to see a "Big Buddha". Usually there is a cable car ride that takes you over a lush tropical forest, but sadly it was out... so we took a bus instead. Glad I was not driving, but the bus afforded some beautiful views of water, rock, and wood. We also saw some interesting small villages. I often wonder what keeps these small towns (regardless of country) in business, but I guess there is always (or at least always should be) someone to love the land.
Needless to say it is a Big Buddha on top of a peak that gave great views all over the island. After spending much time in urban Shanghai and Hong Kong, it was great to get back to nature (well... kind of nature). Reminded me a lot of the Daibatsu in Kamakura (Japan) when I was there in August.
After parting with Jessica I headed over to pick up my suit and shirts. They did a marvelous job and I can not wait for a chance to wear them. If anyone needs a formal date, let me know ;-)! In fact, I learned that my tailor had done a suit for David Bowie. If you are reading this blog, chances are you are my friend. If you are my friend, chances are you have seen Zoolander. If you have seen Zoolander, chances are you know the importance of Ol' Ziggy Stardust.
I then walked back to the Golden Mile (the southern most tip of Tsim Sha Tsui... so named because of its view of the island and its expense). By this time it was evening and the haze that sometimes envelops the island was lifted and offered an incredible view of the illuminated skyline. I got lots of pictures and will post them at the end of the trip.
Still much to do in Hong Kong (Peak Tram in central, Stanley, and the whole south of the island), but I am still planning on heading to Macau tomorrow (and Singapore on Monday). I know I will be back to Hong Kong, so will leave some things to do then (though I will try to do the Peak Tram tomorrow evening).
Needless to say it is a Big Buddha on top of a peak that gave great views all over the island. After spending much time in urban Shanghai and Hong Kong, it was great to get back to nature (well... kind of nature). Reminded me a lot of the Daibatsu in Kamakura (Japan) when I was there in August.
After parting with Jessica I headed over to pick up my suit and shirts. They did a marvelous job and I can not wait for a chance to wear them. If anyone needs a formal date, let me know ;-)! In fact, I learned that my tailor had done a suit for David Bowie. If you are reading this blog, chances are you are my friend. If you are my friend, chances are you have seen Zoolander. If you have seen Zoolander, chances are you know the importance of Ol' Ziggy Stardust.
I then walked back to the Golden Mile (the southern most tip of Tsim Sha Tsui... so named because of its view of the island and its expense). By this time it was evening and the haze that sometimes envelops the island was lifted and offered an incredible view of the illuminated skyline. I got lots of pictures and will post them at the end of the trip.
Still much to do in Hong Kong (Peak Tram in central, Stanley, and the whole south of the island), but I am still planning on heading to Macau tomorrow (and Singapore on Monday). I know I will be back to Hong Kong, so will leave some things to do then (though I will try to do the Peak Tram tomorrow evening).
Friday, October 26, 2007
Retail is Not Therapy!
Hong Kong must be a shopper's paradise. I just do not happen to be a shopper! There are the largest malls here each attached to the subway station so in theory... you never ever have to go outside... which given the humidity probably appeals to some. I prefer to put some feet on the street. Despite these mis-matches though, Hong Kong is a great place!
Lan Kwai Fong was a fun place last night. Nice bars that extended out into the street. I wish more spots like this in San Francisco (especially when the weather is pleasant) where you could just grab a beer/wine/hard alcohol/EANAB* and be outside. Definitely a professional crowd (not that kind of professional!) and most of the folks seem to have come from work in their suits.
This morning I got up and took the ferry between Central (on Hong Kong Island) and Tsim Sha Tsui (the southern neighborhood of Kowloon... attached to the mainland). I then went to my tailor to get a preliminary fitting of my suit and it looks like it is going to be awesome! The material is very light and soft to the touch, yet durable! I go for my final fitting tomorrow (for those who might be interested, they also have ways of speeding up the process, but I have time so I am taking advantage of it).
I then came back to the island and wondered around Central/Admiratility. I took an escalator to nowhere. This part of the island makes San Francisco look bumpy and they had a very good idea to install a series of esclators and moving walkways. I believe it stretches for 800m, rises 140m, and takes 20 minutes if you do the whole thing without walking. It then finishes right in the middle of a street with no view. Very wierd, but I am sure it is practical.
Grabbed lunch in SoHo, and then meandered around some of the open markets. Not sure if this is a possibility, but they really should dig up Adam Smith and relocate his remains to one of these markets... his spirit would be far happier surrounded by these marketplaces. The amount of bustle, bargaining, and commerce is quite a site. Everything from food (saw them butchering entire hogs right in front of me) to clothes (picked up a couple of ties to match my suit and shirts) to anything a person might need to use.
Went a little mainstream and headed to the IFC and Pacific Plaza... more formal shopping malls. Very nice and upscale, but I prefer the dirty street markets with all their charm, character, and chutzpah! I also ran into two guys from my tour in China (Corey and Ron) randomly. Very small world. They have been having a good time in Hong Kong but are ready to go home.
I have a couple more stops before I go home... tomorrow Hong Kong, Sunday in Macau (but sleeping in Hong Kong), and Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday in Singapore and then get home on Wednesday morning... and I still have only scratched the surface of all the things I want to see!
*: EANAB = Equally Attractive Non-Alcoholic Beverage (compliments of the Stanford Residential Housing)
Lan Kwai Fong was a fun place last night. Nice bars that extended out into the street. I wish more spots like this in San Francisco (especially when the weather is pleasant) where you could just grab a beer/wine/hard alcohol/EANAB* and be outside. Definitely a professional crowd (not that kind of professional!) and most of the folks seem to have come from work in their suits.
This morning I got up and took the ferry between Central (on Hong Kong Island) and Tsim Sha Tsui (the southern neighborhood of Kowloon... attached to the mainland). I then went to my tailor to get a preliminary fitting of my suit and it looks like it is going to be awesome! The material is very light and soft to the touch, yet durable! I go for my final fitting tomorrow (for those who might be interested, they also have ways of speeding up the process, but I have time so I am taking advantage of it).
I then came back to the island and wondered around Central/Admiratility. I took an escalator to nowhere. This part of the island makes San Francisco look bumpy and they had a very good idea to install a series of esclators and moving walkways. I believe it stretches for 800m, rises 140m, and takes 20 minutes if you do the whole thing without walking. It then finishes right in the middle of a street with no view. Very wierd, but I am sure it is practical.
Grabbed lunch in SoHo, and then meandered around some of the open markets. Not sure if this is a possibility, but they really should dig up Adam Smith and relocate his remains to one of these markets... his spirit would be far happier surrounded by these marketplaces. The amount of bustle, bargaining, and commerce is quite a site. Everything from food (saw them butchering entire hogs right in front of me) to clothes (picked up a couple of ties to match my suit and shirts) to anything a person might need to use.
Went a little mainstream and headed to the IFC and Pacific Plaza... more formal shopping malls. Very nice and upscale, but I prefer the dirty street markets with all their charm, character, and chutzpah! I also ran into two guys from my tour in China (Corey and Ron) randomly. Very small world. They have been having a good time in Hong Kong but are ready to go home.
I have a couple more stops before I go home... tomorrow Hong Kong, Sunday in Macau (but sleeping in Hong Kong), and Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday in Singapore and then get home on Wednesday morning... and I still have only scratched the surface of all the things I want to see!
*: EANAB = Equally Attractive Non-Alcoholic Beverage (compliments of the Stanford Residential Housing)
Thursday, October 25, 2007
In the Land of Bruce and Jackie
My last day in Shanghai was wonderful and sad all at the same time... I got a 2 hour massage for my sore legs (and it only cost ~$25USD with tip!), explored some more areas, and then had the opportunity to go for dinner and dancing with Susanne, Clea, and Justin. Thanks to all of them (most especially Susanne!) for their kind hosting.
This morning I got up early and headed for Hong Kong. Wow! I thought Shanghai was busy! Plenty still to do, but I got measured up for some custom tailored shirts and a cashmere wool suit. It is a bit of an extravagance, but a custom suit for $450USD is a great deal. If you are looking for a tailor out here I had two recommended by several people and went to the one that was easiest to find. Let me know and I can pass their names.
I then explored Kowloon, Nathan Street, and the Temple Night Market. Tonight I am headed to Lan Kwai Fong and may behave myself ;-).
This morning I got up early and headed for Hong Kong. Wow! I thought Shanghai was busy! Plenty still to do, but I got measured up for some custom tailored shirts and a cashmere wool suit. It is a bit of an extravagance, but a custom suit for $450USD is a great deal. If you are looking for a tailor out here I had two recommended by several people and went to the one that was easiest to find. Let me know and I can pass their names.
I then explored Kowloon, Nathan Street, and the Temple Night Market. Tonight I am headed to Lan Kwai Fong and may behave myself ;-).
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Around the Town
Monday I ended up getting lost (which I maintain is the best way to get to know a city) and missed the French Concession and ended up back on the Bund... which overlooks the river and the Pudong (a new section of Shanghai). It was quite a distance and ended up being a 6-7 hour urban hike. Simply great to see all the activity and movement in the city.
Along the Bund is a small (and still renovating museum) that has some great pictures of the Bund over the course of the last 100 years. Pretty amazing to see the development. I also chatted with a young lady who works at the museum. She is a student at Shanghai University studying modern Chinese history. Over the course of the conversation, she told me her favorite movies: "Home Alone", "Forest Gump", and "Brokeback Mountain". I was a little surprised by this last one and asked her why. She said that she loved the images of the mountains, forest, horses and cowboys. Of course Brokeback was very popular in San Francisco, but for different reasons!
For dinner I went to a Nepali (as in Nepal... not Napoli!) restaurant with Susanne, Clea, and another fellow Stanford-guy Justin (who now works for the State Department). My first time with Nepali food and I like! It is kinds of lighter version of Indian.
Yesterday (Tuesday) was a museum day. I went to the Shanghai Museum which holds a lot of traditional Chinese art. For me, the most impressive part of the museum was a portion visiting from a Spanish museum that featured mostly Spanish painters from Titian to Goya. In particular a painting by Reuben ("Saturn Devouring His Son") caught my attention.
I then went to the French Concession and visited a small, but really interesting, museum on the grounds of the first Chinese Communist Party meeting. Amazing how this group of 13 would set the groundwork for the Communist party taking over all of China.
The French Concession is a very interesting place... architecturally very European (despite its name many different nationalities inhabited the region) but culturually has been taken over by the Chinese. Picture sweeping European avenues with stores spilling out on the streets carrying all manner of Chinese nicknacks. There is also a great area called Xin Tian Di... which is a bit of a tourist area, but has a great promenade lined with outdoor restaurants and cafes. I spent part of the afternoon sipping tea and people watching.
For dinner I went to a Shanghai-nese restuarant with Susanne and two of her (non-Stanford) friends... Jeremy and Christine. Shanghai-nese is noted for its sweetness and adding a bit of extra sugar to most dishes.
One other thing to note... if you are ever in Shanghai anywhere near Nanjing Road, DO NOT GO TO TEA WITH ANYONE! This is a scam that I heard about and was attempted on me many, many times. Someone will come and ask you where you are from and then if you would like to go to tea and become friends. They will then take you to a restaurant and order a bunch of whisky and stick you with a 500 yuan ($60-70USD) tab. They get a cut from the restuarant. My advice is to go "Borat" on them... picture the following dialogue:
Scam Artist (SA): Hello, where are you from?
You in a Borat voice (Y): My name is Borat and I am from Kazakhstan.
SA: Are you hear by yourself?
Y: I like you, you want to be my friend?
SA: Yes, let's go talk more over some tea.
Y: I like sex, it is nice.
(... and so on and so forth)
Alternatively, you can offer to take them to a nearby Starbucks and they will quickly leave!
Along the Bund is a small (and still renovating museum) that has some great pictures of the Bund over the course of the last 100 years. Pretty amazing to see the development. I also chatted with a young lady who works at the museum. She is a student at Shanghai University studying modern Chinese history. Over the course of the conversation, she told me her favorite movies: "Home Alone", "Forest Gump", and "Brokeback Mountain". I was a little surprised by this last one and asked her why. She said that she loved the images of the mountains, forest, horses and cowboys. Of course Brokeback was very popular in San Francisco, but for different reasons!
For dinner I went to a Nepali (as in Nepal... not Napoli!) restaurant with Susanne, Clea, and another fellow Stanford-guy Justin (who now works for the State Department). My first time with Nepali food and I like! It is kinds of lighter version of Indian.
Yesterday (Tuesday) was a museum day. I went to the Shanghai Museum which holds a lot of traditional Chinese art. For me, the most impressive part of the museum was a portion visiting from a Spanish museum that featured mostly Spanish painters from Titian to Goya. In particular a painting by Reuben ("Saturn Devouring His Son") caught my attention.
I then went to the French Concession and visited a small, but really interesting, museum on the grounds of the first Chinese Communist Party meeting. Amazing how this group of 13 would set the groundwork for the Communist party taking over all of China.
The French Concession is a very interesting place... architecturally very European (despite its name many different nationalities inhabited the region) but culturually has been taken over by the Chinese. Picture sweeping European avenues with stores spilling out on the streets carrying all manner of Chinese nicknacks. There is also a great area called Xin Tian Di... which is a bit of a tourist area, but has a great promenade lined with outdoor restaurants and cafes. I spent part of the afternoon sipping tea and people watching.
For dinner I went to a Shanghai-nese restuarant with Susanne and two of her (non-Stanford) friends... Jeremy and Christine. Shanghai-nese is noted for its sweetness and adding a bit of extra sugar to most dishes.
One other thing to note... if you are ever in Shanghai anywhere near Nanjing Road, DO NOT GO TO TEA WITH ANYONE! This is a scam that I heard about and was attempted on me many, many times. Someone will come and ask you where you are from and then if you would like to go to tea and become friends. They will then take you to a restaurant and order a bunch of whisky and stick you with a 500 yuan ($60-70USD) tab. They get a cut from the restuarant. My advice is to go "Borat" on them... picture the following dialogue:
Scam Artist (SA): Hello, where are you from?
You in a Borat voice (Y): My name is Borat and I am from Kazakhstan.
SA: Are you hear by yourself?
Y: I like you, you want to be my friend?
SA: Yes, let's go talk more over some tea.
Y: I like sex, it is nice.
(... and so on and so forth)
Alternatively, you can offer to take them to a nearby Starbucks and they will quickly leave!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Good friends, good talks, good life
After essentially being a nomad in China the last week or so, it has been great to spend the last day or so in Shanghai at a less hectic pace.
Per my earlier postings, I have confirmed that they love Saturday nights in Shanghai. One different aspect of the club scene in China has been that (at least from my perspective) is that most people go out in groups not to meet others, but to hang out with their friends. Essentially the club consists of tables of people ignoring the other tables. This would be fine with me except for the fact that I am going out to meet people! Luckily I went with people from my tour and we had a good time.
One interesting story was being approached by a young lady offering to take my entourage to her club with "sexy Chinese ladies". We saw her early in the night and promptly turned her down. We ran into her later in the night and she repeated her offer to take us to meet "sexy Chinese ladies". A little more curious this time, we inquired for a little more information and she immediately told us "100 yuan for hand job, 100 yuan for blow job, then lady come to your hotel for 1-2 hours for 400 yuan, very sexy ladies". I actually found her bluntness somewhat refreshing, but considering that 100 yuan = ~$13-14USD, this had to be a scam (and most likely not very sexy ladies!). My initial impulse was to work on my haggling skills (which is how much of commerce is done in China), but I decided not to waste her time or mine and we kept walking. I got about 10 feet and then wanted to ask "How can a hand job and blow job cost the same?!", but she had disappeared back into the night. I am not sure if this a cultural difference, language gap, or part of the scam, but if anyone knows the answer, I am curious!
On Sunday, I was lucky enough to meet up with my college friends Susanne. It had been probably 5 years since we had last had a chance to meet and it was wonderful to see her and catch up. She has been busy living in Berlin, Italy, DC, NYC, Ghana, and Shanghai and it was great to hear her adventures and gain some perspective. I have truly romanticized Shanghai in my mind, and it was important for me to hear her on-the-ground firsthand account of life here. We spent the day eating and talking (Chinese dumplings for lunch, Haagen Daz for an afternoon snack, and American-style diner for a small dinner). We were joined for dinner by her friend (another Stanford graduate) Clea who had just arrived in Shanghai for a 3-month stay with Cargill.
Both of these young ladies are highly involved with international development. Despite starting with governmental groups, both came to the conclusion that more could be accomplished by working in the private sector. This mirrors my own thoughts and doubts about government/non-profit roles in economic development, but their accounts were so interesting and compelling. Made me proud to be a compassionate capitalist (not to be confused with the compassionate conservatism that certain presidential candidates have been touting)!
This morning I am taking some down time to do some laundry, but will soon head out for the French concession!
Per my earlier postings, I have confirmed that they love Saturday nights in Shanghai. One different aspect of the club scene in China has been that (at least from my perspective) is that most people go out in groups not to meet others, but to hang out with their friends. Essentially the club consists of tables of people ignoring the other tables. This would be fine with me except for the fact that I am going out to meet people! Luckily I went with people from my tour and we had a good time.
On Sunday, I was lucky enough to meet up with my college friends Susanne. It had been probably 5 years since we had last had a chance to meet and it was wonderful to see her and catch up. She has been busy living in Berlin, Italy, DC, NYC, Ghana, and Shanghai and it was great to hear her adventures and gain some perspective. I have truly romanticized Shanghai in my mind, and it was important for me to hear her on-the-ground firsthand account of life here. We spent the day eating and talking (Chinese dumplings for lunch, Haagen Daz for an afternoon snack, and American-style diner for a small dinner). We were joined for dinner by her friend (another Stanford graduate) Clea who had just arrived in Shanghai for a 3-month stay with Cargill.
Both of these young ladies are highly involved with international development. Despite starting with governmental groups, both came to the conclusion that more could be accomplished by working in the private sector. This mirrors my own thoughts and doubts about government/non-profit roles in economic development, but their accounts were so interesting and compelling. Made me proud to be a compassionate capitalist (not to be confused with the compassionate conservatism that certain presidential candidates have been touting)!
This morning I am taking some down time to do some laundry, but will soon head out for the French concession!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Shanghai'd
Not much time for blogging today... I am in Shanghai... my beautiful "Whore of the Orient"... my sweet "Paris of the East". This morning we went to Lake Tai and a fresh water pearl place... but then on to wonderful Shanghai.
From the bus I glanced its sprawling urban-ity... its high rises (over 8000 buildings of 20+ stories)... its densely packed slums (over 10 people per room... not apartment... room)... its latest status symbol clogging its arteries (the government now limits 5000 license plates per month). Upon stepping on the Bund and glancing at the rush of China's past (concession land granted to Britain, France, and America) and future (the new Bund home to the next largest building in the world), I knew that I had found the source of the siren song that seduced me to China.
Now off to explore more!
From the bus I glanced its sprawling urban-ity... its high rises (over 8000 buildings of 20+ stories)... its densely packed slums (over 10 people per room... not apartment... room)... its latest status symbol clogging its arteries (the government now limits 5000 license plates per month). Upon stepping on the Bund and glancing at the rush of China's past (concession land granted to Britain, France, and America) and future (the new Bund home to the next largest building in the world), I knew that I had found the source of the siren song that seduced me to China.
Now off to explore more!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Today was another good day. We travelled from the outskirts of Hangzhou to Suzhou and are spending the night in Wuxi. Tomorrow we go to Shanghai... which is originally where I thought I would just spend a weekend before heading back to the US. What a mistake that would have been!
Not sure if it was option A or B from yesterday's entry, but I will end up going to Singapore after Hong Kong and so get to finish with my tour and spend more time in Shanghai.
We started the morning off at Lingyin Temple-- a Buddhist temple. It actually contains a carving in the rock wall of a happy Buddha that has been used as the basis for all subsequent Buddha's. For those who know my father, his favorite Buddha is the happy one (and if you know my father you will know why!).
Suzhou was visited by Marco Polo during his journey's and he placed it just behind Hangzhou in terms of its beauty... I agree with the declaration and the ranking, but still enjoyed Suzhou. We went to a silk factory and watched how they make silk. Suzhou was a leading city of Chinese silk because of its rich soil producing excellent mulberry trees (which are the food for silk worms). We also visited the Humble Administrator's Garden. It was created by a spurned Attorney General of the Empire. It includes some very interesting Chinese garden principles that are kind of hard to describe but do not necessarily emphasize flowers and colors in the same way Western standards do. Lastly we visited the North Temple Pagoda.
I am beginning to be able to distinguish more and more Mandarin. One of the key aspects of the language is the tones (a normal tone, a rising tone, a falling tone, a falling-rising tone, and a high tone). While my vocabulary remains limited I am much better at picking out the different tones of words. The Chinese speakers on my trip think my speaking is improving... I think they are just tired of correcting me and so just tell me I got it correct!!!
As I said earlier, tomorrow I head to Shanghai, the city I have been thinking about so much lately. I will have the opportunity to catch up with my college friend Susanne Gebauer while I am there. Great to combine catching up with good friends and making new ones at the same time.
Not sure if it was option A or B from yesterday's entry, but I will end up going to Singapore after Hong Kong and so get to finish with my tour and spend more time in Shanghai.
We started the morning off at Lingyin Temple-- a Buddhist temple. It actually contains a carving in the rock wall of a happy Buddha that has been used as the basis for all subsequent Buddha's. For those who know my father, his favorite Buddha is the happy one (and if you know my father you will know why!).
Suzhou was visited by Marco Polo during his journey's and he placed it just behind Hangzhou in terms of its beauty... I agree with the declaration and the ranking, but still enjoyed Suzhou. We went to a silk factory and watched how they make silk. Suzhou was a leading city of Chinese silk because of its rich soil producing excellent mulberry trees (which are the food for silk worms). We also visited the Humble Administrator's Garden. It was created by a spurned Attorney General of the Empire. It includes some very interesting Chinese garden principles that are kind of hard to describe but do not necessarily emphasize flowers and colors in the same way Western standards do. Lastly we visited the North Temple Pagoda.
I am beginning to be able to distinguish more and more Mandarin. One of the key aspects of the language is the tones (a normal tone, a rising tone, a falling tone, a falling-rising tone, and a high tone). While my vocabulary remains limited I am much better at picking out the different tones of words. The Chinese speakers on my trip think my speaking is improving... I think they are just tired of correcting me and so just tell me I got it correct!!!
As I said earlier, tomorrow I head to Shanghai, the city I have been thinking about so much lately. I will have the opportunity to catch up with my college friend Susanne Gebauer while I am there. Great to combine catching up with good friends and making new ones at the same time.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The White Snake Lady
Boarded a jet plane from Xian to Hangzhou today. I like.
Hangzhou has 6.16 million people and yet before preparing for this trip, I had never heard of it. Pretty amazing that a city with more people than just about every US city (only NYC has more... I think) can fly under my "Western radar". It is considered by many to be a very romantic city and is a common place for Chinese honeymoons. My guide (Nelson) said his parents had their honeymoon there and we saw many folks (likely from Shanghai... ~2 hours away) getting their wedding photos done. For all the people who cautioned me not to come back married, do not worry, it is a romantic city, but I remain single :-).
Hangzhou is noted for the West Lake which is on the west side of the city. It is quite beautiful and very peaceful. We took a boat cruise around it and saw many causeways and spots for lovers (Nelson kept repeating "there is a good spot for lovers... there is another good spot for lovers"). Evidently some of the homeless people have a scam where they occupy the best spots and wait for some young couple and then ask them to pay for him/her to move. They come back every 20-30 minutes to charge "rent". While I do not care for scams in general... this one is kind of funny.
There is also some great stories and myths in the region. I will not recount them here, but if you have a chance check out the one about the "White Snake Lady". As with all myths it is a bit unusual but it is even more odd to me that (at least in Western culture), snakes are generally signs of evil and associated with men (for my feminist friends, this is not me admitting that men are evil!). In this case the snake is both good and female.
We also visited the memorial and tomb of famed General Yue Fei (1103-42). Think the Chinese version of William "Braveheart" Wallace but even more betrayed.
Hangzhou is also noted for its tea and we visited the Dragon Well Tea Village. I learned all about different kinds of tea and what makes the region's tea so special (it is in the soil, harvest, and preparation). We also got to try some of the tea. As Napa is for wines (and wine tasting) this region is for tea (and tea tasting) but on a less dramatic scale.
Tomorrow is a bit up in the air at the moment. Either way I will visit Suzhou but in world A) I continue with my tour and spend the night in Wuxi (pronounced more like wushi) and in world B) I leave my tour in Suzhou, head to Shanghai, and fly to Singapore. Earlier today it was looking like world B, but now it looks like world A. Rough life!
Hangzhou has 6.16 million people and yet before preparing for this trip, I had never heard of it. Pretty amazing that a city with more people than just about every US city (only NYC has more... I think) can fly under my "Western radar". It is considered by many to be a very romantic city and is a common place for Chinese honeymoons. My guide (Nelson) said his parents had their honeymoon there and we saw many folks (likely from Shanghai... ~2 hours away) getting their wedding photos done. For all the people who cautioned me not to come back married, do not worry, it is a romantic city, but I remain single :-).
Hangzhou is noted for the West Lake which is on the west side of the city. It is quite beautiful and very peaceful. We took a boat cruise around it and saw many causeways and spots for lovers (Nelson kept repeating "there is a good spot for lovers... there is another good spot for lovers"). Evidently some of the homeless people have a scam where they occupy the best spots and wait for some young couple and then ask them to pay for him/her to move. They come back every 20-30 minutes to charge "rent". While I do not care for scams in general... this one is kind of funny.
There is also some great stories and myths in the region. I will not recount them here, but if you have a chance check out the one about the "White Snake Lady". As with all myths it is a bit unusual but it is even more odd to me that (at least in Western culture), snakes are generally signs of evil and associated with men (for my feminist friends, this is not me admitting that men are evil!). In this case the snake is both good and female.
We also visited the memorial and tomb of famed General Yue Fei (1103-42). Think the Chinese version of William "Braveheart" Wallace but even more betrayed.
Hangzhou is also noted for its tea and we visited the Dragon Well Tea Village. I learned all about different kinds of tea and what makes the region's tea so special (it is in the soil, harvest, and preparation). We also got to try some of the tea. As Napa is for wines (and wine tasting) this region is for tea (and tea tasting) but on a less dramatic scale.
Tomorrow is a bit up in the air at the moment. Either way I will visit Suzhou but in world A) I continue with my tour and spend the night in Wuxi (pronounced more like wushi) and in world B) I leave my tour in Suzhou, head to Shanghai, and fly to Singapore. Earlier today it was looking like world B, but now it looks like world A. Rough life!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Terracotta Warriors of Xian
After spending the morning in Beijing (yesterday) at the Palace of Heaven, we boarded a plane to Xian. Our tour leader said that you should go to Beijing to learn about China in the last 1000 years, Xian for 2000 years, and Shanghai for the last 100. Xian was the capital of the Qin dynasty which was the first to rule a united China. It is famous for its Terracota Warriors... a clay army created by the first emperor to serve him in the afterlife. So far that has not worked out well for him. It also has an interesting city wall (independent of the Great Wall). They the wall up at night and it is beautiful... kind of reminds me of Xmas with the red lanterns hanging from much of the wall as well.
Tomorrow we head for Hangzhou... not far from Shanghai.
A couple of interesting observations... one of the gentlemen in my group is black. Everywhere we go, people on the street ask him if he is a basketball player and if he knows Yao Ming. He is a funny guy and takes it in stride. The other thing that has really struck me is the poverty of China. Travelling more in the country side today and away from Beijing, it is remarkable the number of people with so little. I knew this before, but to see it... is something else. All rural farmers are coming to cities to find jobs and there are not many for them... especially well paying ones. This mirrors some of what we have in the US, but neither to the scale or disparity of wealth. This is a powder keg and given the precedent in Chinese history for sparks, I can understand the government growing concern.
Tomorrow we head for Hangzhou... not far from Shanghai.
A couple of interesting observations... one of the gentlemen in my group is black. Everywhere we go, people on the street ask him if he is a basketball player and if he knows Yao Ming. He is a funny guy and takes it in stride. The other thing that has really struck me is the poverty of China. Travelling more in the country side today and away from Beijing, it is remarkable the number of people with so little. I knew this before, but to see it... is something else. All rural farmers are coming to cities to find jobs and there are not many for them... especially well paying ones. This mirrors some of what we have in the US, but neither to the scale or disparity of wealth. This is a powder keg and given the precedent in Chinese history for sparks, I can understand the government growing concern.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
I have been to the Great Wall of China
Tourism continued yesterday with a stop by the Chang Ling tombs who was the 3rd emperor of the Ming Dynasty (which came after the Yuan Dynasty (the Mongols) and the Qing Dynasty (the Manchu)). For a country over 95% of Han ethnicity, it is surprising how little of their history they were ruled by Han emperors. We then went to the Great Wall. We went to a newly restored part that was not swarming with tourist. A couple of guys and I on the tour climbed to the top... roughly 3-4000 (very steep) feet. Absolutely breath taking. The views were of lucious greenery and far in the distance you could downtown Beijing. Quite a blend of old and new.
We then drove by Olympic Stadium (sadly I will not have a chance to explore further) and onto our Peking Duck dinner. In general they like the meats a little fattier over here, but in general I find myself pretty familiar with the food. Living in San Francisco, I seem to have good access to Chinese Chinese food and not just Chinese American food!
A little later we leave for Xian... one of the old capitals of Dynastic China and the beginning/end of the Silk Road. While it is interesting to see the history of China, I am looking forward to the latter part of the trip in some more modern cities where you can see China as it is and as it will be. Beijing is teaming with activity and energy and I can not wait to have a chance to put my "feet on the street".
My Mandarin mis-adventures continue. I can now have a 90-second conversation with a taxi driver before his English and my Mandarin run out. My ability to hear the language (if not fully grasp what is being said) has improved!
Last night I also had the occasion to visit with my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Gilbert. Coincidently they are in Beijing at the same time and with the same tour company (but a different overall tour). We had run into each other in the Forbidden City and between the Ming Tombs and Great Wall, but this was our first occasion to really chat. There trip is going well... their next part is a cruise down the Yangtze River.
We then drove by Olympic Stadium (sadly I will not have a chance to explore further) and onto our Peking Duck dinner. In general they like the meats a little fattier over here, but in general I find myself pretty familiar with the food. Living in San Francisco, I seem to have good access to Chinese Chinese food and not just Chinese American food!
A little later we leave for Xian... one of the old capitals of Dynastic China and the beginning/end of the Silk Road. While it is interesting to see the history of China, I am looking forward to the latter part of the trip in some more modern cities where you can see China as it is and as it will be. Beijing is teaming with activity and energy and I can not wait to have a chance to put my "feet on the street".
My Mandarin mis-adventures continue. I can now have a 90-second conversation with a taxi driver before his English and my Mandarin run out. My ability to hear the language (if not fully grasp what is being said) has improved!
Last night I also had the occasion to visit with my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Gilbert. Coincidently they are in Beijing at the same time and with the same tour company (but a different overall tour). We had run into each other in the Forbidden City and between the Ming Tombs and Great Wall, but this was our first occasion to really chat. There trip is going well... their next part is a cruise down the Yangtze River.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
It is good to be the emperor
Needless to say, people in Beijing love Saturday night. I started at an interesting club called Vic's. It was gi-normous and quite cavernous. I got there pretty early and it was a mostly non-English speaking crowd, so I left before it got huge. With a group it would have been fun. I then found the ex-pat bar area (though I can not remember the name). Checked Blu Bar and Poacher's Inn. Both locations were decent bars, but nothing too cool to write home about. I ended up speaking a little Mandarin (see below), a little German (I remembered more from school than I thought) and a bit of English. Never quite found my scene so I went home early.
Any delusions of Mandarin-speaking grandeur I had have been washed away :(. I went out to dinner last night and could not order anything. Luckily they had a picture menu and a very patient waitress. I learned that I can say a couple of cute phrases and some numbers and then reach the end of the conversations. I will just keep working on it!
Today I visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. While Tiananmen was very interesting from a cultural and historical perspective, it is not all that interesting aesthetically. Ditto Forbidden City... though some of the stone carvings are incredible and the buildings themselves are large. Glad to have seen them, but unless I were to become a historian, no real need to go back. The Summer Palace, however, was beautiful. There is a large lake surrounded by forested hills of willow, bamboo, cypress, etc. It was absolutely gorgeous and I highly recommend.
The best part of travelling, for me, is connecting with people. While I love connecting with history and being at important places, the most interesting piece for me is trying to make sense of the hear and now (clearly history plays a role in that). Whether talking with locals (natives and ex-pats) last night or speaking to my tour group today these are the key memories and impressions that will last for me.
Speaking with people, I have seen a fair number of Westerners, but not many Americans. Maybe I am in the wrong place or time to see Americans, but this disappoints me. China is an amazing place to learn and do business (yes... I am ardent capitalist) and I think it is important for more Americans to visit here. Actually, I think it is important for more Americans to see more of the world in general. I am sure something like this might exist, but maybe there should be a program where all high school students are funded to go see a foreign country.
The US WWII generation, while not perfect (and with all respect to Tom Brokaw... it may not have been the greatest), I think benefited from exposure to different parts of the world. I am clearly not advocating for WWIII to provide this exposure, but I wonder how different US foreign policy would be if more US citizens had seen outside our borders.
Any delusions of Mandarin-speaking grandeur I had have been washed away :(. I went out to dinner last night and could not order anything. Luckily they had a picture menu and a very patient waitress. I learned that I can say a couple of cute phrases and some numbers and then reach the end of the conversations. I will just keep working on it!
Today I visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. While Tiananmen was very interesting from a cultural and historical perspective, it is not all that interesting aesthetically. Ditto Forbidden City... though some of the stone carvings are incredible and the buildings themselves are large. Glad to have seen them, but unless I were to become a historian, no real need to go back. The Summer Palace, however, was beautiful. There is a large lake surrounded by forested hills of willow, bamboo, cypress, etc. It was absolutely gorgeous and I highly recommend.
The best part of travelling, for me, is connecting with people. While I love connecting with history and being at important places, the most interesting piece for me is trying to make sense of the hear and now (clearly history plays a role in that). Whether talking with locals (natives and ex-pats) last night or speaking to my tour group today these are the key memories and impressions that will last for me.
Speaking with people, I have seen a fair number of Westerners, but not many Americans. Maybe I am in the wrong place or time to see Americans, but this disappoints me. China is an amazing place to learn and do business (yes... I am ardent capitalist) and I think it is important for more Americans to visit here. Actually, I think it is important for more Americans to see more of the world in general. I am sure something like this might exist, but maybe there should be a program where all high school students are funded to go see a foreign country.
The US WWII generation, while not perfect (and with all respect to Tom Brokaw... it may not have been the greatest), I think benefited from exposure to different parts of the world. I am clearly not advocating for WWIII to provide this exposure, but I wonder how different US foreign policy would be if more US citizens had seen outside our borders.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Beijing!
Arrived at Beijing airport and waiting for my tour to assemble. Took care of some errands (money, SIM, stamps, etc.). If you are really interested in talking, my phone # over here is: 13552712395 (you better have a really good reason!).
Most (if not all) of my tour is flying in from San Francisco this evening, so we will see if anyone else is up for going out. As I confirmed in Tokyo "Everybody Loves Saturday Night", and I bet Beijing is no different. I will let you know if my hypothesis holds up :-)
Most (if not all) of my tour is flying in from San Francisco this evening, so we will see if anyone else is up for going out. As I confirmed in Tokyo "Everybody Loves Saturday Night", and I bet Beijing is no different. I will let you know if my hypothesis holds up :-)
Done, done, on to the next one!
Currently in the Hong Kong airport awaiting my flight to Beijing (be back here in a couple of weeks for real!).
Business finished up well in Taipei. For those of you keeping score at home this means I am now 28, unemployed, and with two degrees in computer science. Can you believe I am single?!
I am not sure the next time I will see the "beautiful island" (so named by the Portuguese... Ihla Formosa), but I suspect I will be back. In particular, I look forward to seeing Taipei 101 again. Over the course of the week I saw it in many different lights, from many different angles and in many different weathers. Its architecture is based on the segments of bamboo and it cuts quite a solitary image in the Taipei skyline. I will post my pictures soon.
Later today starts my organized tour from Beijing to Xian to Hangzhou to Wuxi to Shanghai. I have been an independent traveller for much of my time spent abroad and it will be interesting to be with a group. Most of the tour will be in Mandarin with some English translation. Hopefully my Mandarin will improve greatly.
One last thing on Mandarin... Hong Kong speaks Cantonese (a different dialect of Chinese). I tried to speak some Mandarin with the shop keepers in the airport and they gave me a very polite, but bemused look "silly foreigner"! Needless to say we switched to English and everyone was better off.
Business finished up well in Taipei. For those of you keeping score at home this means I am now 28, unemployed, and with two degrees in computer science. Can you believe I am single?!
I am not sure the next time I will see the "beautiful island" (so named by the Portuguese... Ihla Formosa), but I suspect I will be back. In particular, I look forward to seeing Taipei 101 again. Over the course of the week I saw it in many different lights, from many different angles and in many different weathers. Its architecture is based on the segments of bamboo and it cuts quite a solitary image in the Taipei skyline. I will post my pictures soon.
Later today starts my organized tour from Beijing to Xian to Hangzhou to Wuxi to Shanghai. I have been an independent traveller for much of my time spent abroad and it will be interesting to be with a group. Most of the tour will be in Mandarin with some English translation. Hopefully my Mandarin will improve greatly.
One last thing on Mandarin... Hong Kong speaks Cantonese (a different dialect of Chinese). I tried to speak some Mandarin with the shop keepers in the airport and they gave me a very polite, but bemused look "silly foreigner"! Needless to say we switched to English and everyone was better off.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
I dont know why you zai jian, I say ni hao
Local time: Oct 10, 6:30pm
Monday and Tuesday of the week were good meetings with our partners in Taoyuan. They were somewhat suprised that I was leaving, but it does not look like it will be a problem for my company. Luckily we have a very good champion at our partner.
Today was the Double Tenth Day in Taiwan which is roughly the equivalent of our July 4. It marks the beginning of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911 which ultimately led to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China... which is the political name of Taiwan (not to be confused with the People's Republic of China). There was a military parade, the first of its kind in Taiwan for over 15 years. Coincidently ;-), the PRC named a change in their military that brought to power several generals who are familar with the "Taiwan situation". I will stay out of the politics, but it did give everyone in Taiwan a day off and a chance for us to explore Taipei a bit.
On my way to the parade (which started at 8am... and I left for at 9:30am), I encountered a hip-hop dance competition and watched it. Mostly teenagers (or young 20-somethings) and they were all highly skilled. Definitely fun to watch but I ended up missing the parade, but saw the aftermath. The impact of American culture is pretty interesting to see when travelling. For most people America is the Hollywood blockbuster, rap video, or retail chain that they see in their own country.
I then came back to the hotel and picked up my colleagues and we went to Taipei 101, the world's largest building (for now). Very cool observation deck and you can even get outside. The city looks very interesting from ~500m up!
We then headed to the Chiang Kai Shek (CKS) Memorial. CKS was a Chinese general who led China during WWII, but ultimately fled the mainland with most of his followers after his defeat by Mao and the communists.
Also of note is that people can understand my Mandarin! Even my extremely limited vocabulary has enabled me to communicate a little bit. Several people have actually complimented my accent as being very good (hun hao)... they of course omit the "for a white guy" :-)
I have always had an affection for quotes and lyrics and one of the games I like to play to amuse my self is replacing English lyrics with their Mandarin equivalent. Good thing the Beatles spoke English because while "Hello Goodbye" was a hit, I am not sure that "Ni Hao Zai Jian" would have been!
Thursday and Friday in Taipei and head to Beijing on Saturday!
Monday and Tuesday of the week were good meetings with our partners in Taoyuan. They were somewhat suprised that I was leaving, but it does not look like it will be a problem for my company. Luckily we have a very good champion at our partner.
Today was the Double Tenth Day in Taiwan which is roughly the equivalent of our July 4. It marks the beginning of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911 which ultimately led to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China... which is the political name of Taiwan (not to be confused with the People's Republic of China). There was a military parade, the first of its kind in Taiwan for over 15 years. Coincidently ;-), the PRC named a change in their military that brought to power several generals who are familar with the "Taiwan situation". I will stay out of the politics, but it did give everyone in Taiwan a day off and a chance for us to explore Taipei a bit.
On my way to the parade (which started at 8am... and I left for at 9:30am), I encountered a hip-hop dance competition and watched it. Mostly teenagers (or young 20-somethings) and they were all highly skilled. Definitely fun to watch but I ended up missing the parade, but saw the aftermath. The impact of American culture is pretty interesting to see when travelling. For most people America is the Hollywood blockbuster, rap video, or retail chain that they see in their own country.
I then came back to the hotel and picked up my colleagues and we went to Taipei 101, the world's largest building (for now). Very cool observation deck and you can even get outside. The city looks very interesting from ~500m up!
We then headed to the Chiang Kai Shek (CKS) Memorial. CKS was a Chinese general who led China during WWII, but ultimately fled the mainland with most of his followers after his defeat by Mao and the communists.
Also of note is that people can understand my Mandarin! Even my extremely limited vocabulary has enabled me to communicate a little bit. Several people have actually complimented my accent as being very good (hun hao)... they of course omit the "for a white guy" :-)
I have always had an affection for quotes and lyrics and one of the games I like to play to amuse my self is replacing English lyrics with their Mandarin equivalent. Good thing the Beatles spoke English because while "Hello Goodbye" was a hit, I am not sure that "Ni Hao Zai Jian" would have been!
Thursday and Friday in Taipei and head to Beijing on Saturday!
Monday, October 8, 2007
Arrival in Taipei
Local time: Oct 8, 5am
Typhoon Krosa delayed my trip from 1:16pm Oct 5 to 8am Oct 6, but I have now safely arrived in Taipei. I am staying at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Taipei which is very nice and located in the heart of Taipei. My last trip to Taiwan (in August) also involved a typhoon (Sepat) and my hosts here have noticed the trend!
I am here for company business and so will spend this week less as tourist and more as a businessman. Along with me for this stretch are 3 co-workers. My main mission for this part of the trip is to pass off the relationship I have built with a key handset company in Taiwan to these co-workers, because my last day with the company is Friday.
I then trade my collars for t's and head to Beijing, Xian, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. It also looks like I will be going to Singapore to interview with a company there. (More on all these locations as I visit them!)
It is currently 5am local time (got to love jet lag!), but yesterday I did walk around a little bit. Luckily damage from the typhoon seemed limited, but definitely some down trees and torn up buildings (and sadly 5 local fatalities). Along with Dave (one of my co-workers) we headed over to Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world. We did not go to the top, but will likely try later in the week when it is a bit clearer.
Later today we will visit our host company. I have really enjoyed working with the folks there and it will be good to see them.
Typhoon Krosa delayed my trip from 1:16pm Oct 5 to 8am Oct 6, but I have now safely arrived in Taipei. I am staying at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Taipei which is very nice and located in the heart of Taipei. My last trip to Taiwan (in August) also involved a typhoon (Sepat) and my hosts here have noticed the trend!
I am here for company business and so will spend this week less as tourist and more as a businessman. Along with me for this stretch are 3 co-workers. My main mission for this part of the trip is to pass off the relationship I have built with a key handset company in Taiwan to these co-workers, because my last day with the company is Friday.
I then trade my collars for t's and head to Beijing, Xian, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. It also looks like I will be going to Singapore to interview with a company there. (More on all these locations as I visit them!)
It is currently 5am local time (got to love jet lag!), but yesterday I did walk around a little bit. Luckily damage from the typhoon seemed limited, but definitely some down trees and torn up buildings (and sadly 5 local fatalities). Along with Dave (one of my co-workers) we headed over to Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world. We did not go to the top, but will likely try later in the week when it is a bit clearer.
Later today we will visit our host company. I have really enjoyed working with the folks there and it will be good to see them.
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